Eanald macdonald



(No Model.)

B. MACDONALD.

' FIRE RESCUE APPARATUS. No.-Z49,847. Patented Nov. 22,1881.

VZ'ihwsM I 1730672201 WI-1L fl QM WWW? UNITED STATES PATENT tANALD MACDONALD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

FIRE-RESCUE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,847, dated November22, 1881.

Application filed June 27, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RANALD MACDONALD, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Fire-Rescue Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain novel means of raising and lowering an escape-car to and from the windowsof burning buildings with much greater steadiness of movement in the car, and much greater facility of operation, than has hitherto been obtained in other apparatus designed for similar purposes.

The invention comprises certain novel combinations of parts, whereby the objects above indicated are effectually secured, and an apparatus simple, strong. and easily operated provided for purposes of rescue from fire.

Figure 1 is a front view, representing my said invention as applied to a second-story window. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the windlass which forms part of the said apparatus; and Fig. 4 is a detailed view on a larger scale of the device by which the rescue-car is attached to the traveling rope, and also connected with the guide ropes or ways -by which the escape-ear is directed with certainty to and from the window.

A is a bar, which is fixed transversely in the window by any suitable means-as, for example, by logs or eyes permanently fixed to the sides of the window-frame, and constructed to receive the ends of the bar and support the same against downward strain.

B B are guide ropes or ways, formed preferably of wire-rope, and having at their ends hooks or other suitable devices, whereby said upper ends of said guide ropes or ways may be attached to the bar A. The lower ends of these guide-ropes are attached one at each end of an ordinary Windlass or drum, O, the said guide-ropes passing down at one and the same side of the drum C, so that by turning the said drum in the requisite direction the lower portions of the guide-ropes will be wound upon the said drum and tightened to the requisite extent thereby, which done, any reverse movement of the drum is prevented by means of a pawl, a, holding against the teeth of a ratchetwheel, b, attached to the shaft of the drum 0, the latter, when turned to wind the ropes, as

just explained, being, of course, operated by a suitable crank, c.

Hung upon the bar A is a pulley, D, over which is passed a draft or traveling rope, E, the lower ends of which are attached one to each of the opposite ends of a second drum, E, which latter is of the peculiar construction represented in Fig. 3, and hereinafter more fully described. The ends of the traveling rope E are not only attached to opposite ends of the said drum F, but pass down upon opposite sides thereof, and wind in opposite directions thereon, so that when the drum is turned in one direction or the other one end of the traveling rope E will unwind from the said drum F in exactly the same ratio as the op; posite end of the said rope is wound upon the said drum, so that a traveling or longitudinal movement of the rope E may be given thereto in one direction or the other, according as the drum F is turned in one direction or the other. During the operation of thus operating the traveling rope E a movement is given to the drum F by means of gear-wheelsf and g, the latter of which is actuated by a crank, h. In order, however,that the traveling rope E'may be brought to the requisite degree of tension before receiving motion from the movement of the drum F, it is necessary that the latter should have a construction'which will permit the available or working length of the rope E to be lengthened or shortened at will. This is provided for by making the drum F in two parts capable on occasion of being independently rotated either in opposite directions or at different degrees of speed with reference to each other. This is shown in the sectional View, Fig. 3, in which A represents the cylindrical spool or winding portion of one endof the drum, and B represents a corresponding spool at the other end of the drum.

The part A is provided at its inner end with a cylindrical extension or hub, m, which fits into a corresponding cavity in the contiguous end of the part B.

The shaft O, which supports the drum, is formed at its ends with suitable journals 0", which rest in bearings provided in the frame of the Windlass, (the said frame serving to support both the drums O and F.) That portion of the shaft 0 which extends axially through the part A of the drum F is cylindrical in form, as indicated ata, whereas the part which passes through the part B of the said drum is square in cross-section, as 11.

Working through a suitable not formed in the inner portion of the part B is a setscrew, D, the nib of which bears against the circumt'erence of the hub in ofjthe part A, so that when the said set-screw is turned forcibly inward it binds against the said hub m to an extent sufiicient to virtually unite or fix together the two parts AB of the drum F, so that the said two parts of the said drum act together, whereas by loosening the set-screw D the two parts A B may be turned independently to strain the rope from the pulley D to the drum F to the degree of tension requisite to an effective operation of the apparatus, the part A in such cases being turned as just explained by the crank h, the part B being turned by a crank, t', formed directly upon the adjacent end of the shaft 0.

Placed upon and around the circumference of the part Bare strap-brakes G, which, when one or both of them are actuated in the manner usual with this variety of brakes, will restrain any undue rapidity of motion of the drum-in other words, any undue velocity in the descent of the rescue-cars, as might other wise occur. The said brakes are suitably con nected with a bell-crank, H, upon one end of which is attached a lever, I, so that by the movement of the latter any desired pressure may be applied upon the circumference of the drum to restrain the movement thereof.

Inasmuch as the down 'ard pressure of the strap-brakes G might tend in sane cases to unduly bend the shaft of the drum F, there are placed under the latter shoulders or supports K, the upper surfaces of which, when the drum is running freely, are at a short distancesay one-sixteenth of an inch-from the surface of the drum, but which when the shaft of the latter undergoes tlexure from the pressure of the brakes receives upon it the surface of the drum, and not only assists the action of the brake by the increased friction upon the circumference of the drum, but also sustains the same against further downward bending ofits shaft. The most etfective operation of these supports K is obtained by placing them coincident with the strap-brakes G, and underneath corresponding portions of the drum, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The cars or baskets are represented at L. These are intended to be of a size sufficient to carry one or more persons, and are attached to suspensory bales F, to each of which is attached a hinge-clasp, G, constructed with coincident transverse grooves f, and fastened together on occasion by a set-screw, 9, so that by opening the clasp G and fitting the traveling rope E between the grooves f, and then tightening the two parts of the clasp together and screwing them by the set-screw g, the bale F will be fixed securely to the requisite part of the traveling rope E.

Above the clasp G of the halo F is an inverted stirrup-strap, H, in which is placed a pulley or grooved roller, 1, the lower part of the inverted stirrup-strap H being furnished with a spring, K, the device being attached to the rope E by means of the clasp G, as just hereinbefore explained. The inverted stirrupstrap H is slipped over the adjacent guide rope or way B, the spring K yielding for such purpose, and then returning to its place to prevent the escape of the guide-rope, and the pulley I resting upon the guide-rope to traverse up and down the same as the traveling rope E is moved to and fro by means of the windlass F, as hereinbefore explained.

Two cars, L, are attached at suitable points along the length of the traveling rope E, one upon each side of the pulley D, the arrangement being such that when one of the cars L is elevated to the window the other of the said cars will be at or near the ground. By rotatating the drum F alternately in opposite directions, each of the said cars L will be alternately raised to the window and lowered therefrom.

Inasmuch as the traveling rope E would be likely to run upon or inconveniently near the surface of the drum G if the said traveling rope E were carried direct to the drum F, an idler-pulley, r is provided in suitable bearings upon the frame of the drums and in such relation with the traveling rope E as to guide the same away from or out of contact with the drum 0, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination, in a tire-rescue apparatus, of the following elements, to wit: the guide ropes or ways B, the windlass O for straining the said guide-ropes, the traveling rope E, the cars L, suspended from the traveling rope, and the windlass F, for giving an alternate longitudinal movement in opposite directions to the traveling rope, the whole combined and arranged for joint operation substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. In a fire-rescue apparatus, the combination of the windlass F, constructed with two parts, AB, capable on occasion of independent movement, the traveling rope E, carrying the cars L and attached to the windlass F, the pulley D, and the guide ropes or ways B, all substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The cars L, bale F, sectional hinged clasp G, inverted stirrup-strap H, pulley I, and spring K, in combination with the traveling rope E and windlass F, for giving longitudinal movement in opposite directions to the said traveling rope, and guide ropes or ways B, the whole arranged for joint use and 0p peration substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

BANALD MACDONALD.

Witnesses THOMAS E. OROSSMAN, Rom. W. MATrI-mws.

IIO 

